Salted Caramel Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies were born out of my love for all things salty + sweet.

I double dog dare you to eat just one.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 package caramel bites (they're little unwrapped caramels in the baking section by the choc chips)

Fine sea salt for dusting.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and caramel by hand. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto parchment lined and greased baking sheets.
Bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with fine sea salt.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. I had to spray cooking spray on my spatula to get them to lift nicely.  The caramel tends to stick to the spatula.

Then try not to eat them all. 

Chipper Bars

Taken from Cooks.com

These bars come with a WARNING:  You can't just eat one.  You'll eat an entire row....or 2....not like I know anything about that.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 c. oatmeal

1 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 c. butter
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c. peanut butter

1 c. chocolate chips

In large bowl, mix oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, butter, soda and salt. Mix until crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mix; set aside. Press remaining crumbs on bottom of greased 13 x 9 inch pan. 

In small bowl, stir milk, and peanut butter. Pour evenly over crumb mix in pan. 

Sprinkle with chocolate chips. 

Put reserved crumb mix on top. 

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Cool and cut into bars.  

Inhale.

Toffee Dip

From: Jess

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1/2C brown sugar
1/4C granulated sugar
1tsp vanilla
1 bag Heath toffee chips (w/o chocolate)

Place cream cheese, sugars and vanilla in bowl and mix for 2 minutes. Fold in toffee chips 1/2 hour prior to serving. Serve with tart apples.

Almond Sour Cream Pound Cake

Cake:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, plus more for pan
3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract (yes this is a lot, but much of the flavor will bake off if you dont use this much.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 cake rounds (I used a 12 inch and a 8 inch springform).
In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugar together and then add sour cream. Sift flour and baking soda together. Add to creamed mixture, alternately with eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add extracts and stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool cake in pan for about 10 minutes and then unmold and cool completely on a wire rack. Frost cake when completely cooled.

Almond Buttercream Frosting:

1 stick butter, softned
1/2 pkg cream cheese
3 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
With an electric mixer, cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Slowly beat in the sugar until smooth and creamy and sweetened to your liking (about 2 minutes). Add almond extract and stir to blend. Frost cake when fully cooled. If you are not using the frosting immediately, store it, covered, in the refrigerator and then bring it to room temperature just prior to using.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake

1 box devils food cake mix
1 box instant chocolate pudding (3.4 oz.)
4 eggs
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. Wesson oil
12 oz. milk chocolate chips
Combine ingredients in large bowl. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed with electric mixer. Pour into greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. When cool, turn on to cake plate and dust with powdered sugar.

Puppy Chow

9C rice chex cereal
1C chocolate chips
1/2C peanut butter
1/4C butter
1tsp vanilla
1 1/2C powdered sugar

Combine everything but cereal in bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and continue to microwave in 30 second increments until smooth. Add vanilla. Place cereal in large bowl, pour warm mixture over cereal and mix. Place in brown grocery bag, add powdered sugar and shake well to coat. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in air tight container.

Margarita Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3/4C pre-made margarita mix (I use Williams-Sonoma)
3 egg yolks
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2C crushed graham crackers
1/3-1/2C butter, melted

Mix crushed graham crackers and butter (start with 1/3C butter) until it forms a loose, crumbly dough. Pat crust mixture into 9"X9" pan. Mix remaining 3 ingredients together and pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool and refrigerate.

Raspberry White Chocolate Bread Pudding

Adapted from a recipe from my mom
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 loaf french bread, cubed (about 1")
4C milk
3 eggs
2C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3T butter
1/2 bag white chocolate chips
1/3C raspberry preserves or 1 container fresh raspberries

SAUCE:
1C sugar
1/2C butter, melted
1 egg
1/4C whiskey

Beat milk, eggs, sugar, raspberry preserves and vanilla. With large spoon, mix in bread and white chocolate chips and let sit for 20-30 minutes. In the mean time, melt butter and pour in the bottom of a 9"X13" pan. Place pan on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

SAUCE:
Mix all ingredients together in sauce pan, making sure egg is fully mixed in. Simmer on stove, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes, until sugar is fully melted.

For a traditional bread pudding, omit raspberry preserves and white chocolate chips, and add 3/4 C raisins (soaked in 1/2C whiskey for 1 hour) and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Graham Cracker Toffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2pkg graham crackers, snapped in half (to make 2 squares)
1C butter
1C brown sugar
1 bag chocolate chips
1 1/2 C toasted pecans

Line cookie sheet with graham crackers. Melt butter over medium heat and add brown sugar. Bring to rolling boil and cook for 2 minutes without stirring. Pour hot mixture over crackers and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with choc chips and toasted pecans. remove from pan and place on cooling rack immediately. Let fully cool before serving.

Raspberry Almond Squares

From NK
Preheat oven to 325 degrees

1/4C sliced almonds
1/2C butter
12oz white chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/2C sugar
1C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp almond extract
3/4C raspberry preserves

Grease and flour a 9" square pan. Toast almonds. Melt 1C choc chips and the butter in a pan over low heat, stirring constantly. Set aside.
Beat eggs until foamy, adding sugar gradually. Beat at high speed until mixture is lemon colored. Stir into melted chocolate mixture. Add flour, salt and almond extract - mix on low speed. Spread 1/2 the batter into pan and bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and add remaining chocolate chips to top. Melt jam and spread on crust. Add remaining batter and almonds. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Salted Nut Rolls

From LV
Preheat oven to 325 degrees

1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, softened
1 bag butterscotch chips
1 egg
1 bag mini marshmallows
3/4C Karo syrup
1/2 jar salted peanuts

Combine dry cake mix, butter and egg until crumbly. Pat into 9"X13" pan and bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Sprinkle marshmallows over top and place in oven until golden. In the meantime, put butterscotch chips and Karo syrup in microwave safe bowl, and microwave in 20 second increments, until melted. Stir well and pour over golden marshmallows. Sprinkle with peanuts and refrigerate to set - at least 45 minutes. May store covered at room temperature.

Butterfinger Cake

1 pre-made angel food cake round
2 containers pre-made chocolate pudding (kid size)
2 containers butterscotch pudding (kid size)
1 container cool whip, equally divided in 2
2-3 Butterfinger candy bars, crushed

Tear cake into 1 inch cubes and place in dish. Mix each type of pudding with 1/2 of the cool whip. Add to cake and stir. Stir in crushed Butterfinger candy bars. Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving.

Super quick, cheap and delicious!

Fruit Dip

From SB

1 - 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 small container marshmallow cream
1tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients and serve with fruit.

SUGGESTION
I make mini fruit tarts using this sauce. Use a roll of pre-made sugar cookie dough. Slice per directions on roll. Using muffin pan, place 1 slice of cookie dough per opening. Using fingers, press cookie dough on bottom and halfway up sides of pan. Bake 3 minutes less than indicated on package. Allow to fully cool before removing from pan (I put it in the snow). Spoon in about 1T fruit dip and fill with fruit. Delicious and so cute, great for a baby or wedding shower.